I know that most of you saw this film since it isnt completely new and that there are reviews and thoughts all over the place shared by fans and other people ..I just thought i would share my opinion,i will do my best not to make it just simple ode to skills of Choi Seung Hyun or anyone else and go over the top with nice words but I wont also pretend to be unbiased since this film belongs among my favorite and so does Choi Seung Hyun (TOP) for his acting, musical and other skills..

i wont pretend that i know anything about movie making but i for sure know what kind of emotions this film left in me and i will try my best to share them or my opinion..
you could say that it is cliche since there is spy and not just any spy but young handsome one that comes to South Korea to do the mission and in process meets young girl who is kind pretty and that is where you have the cliche romance but those are probably everywhere ..
The thing is that here the romance doesnt go over the top and stays pretty much pure because Daeho has a mission but his real mission isnt the one he has to do for North Korean goverment his real mission and wish is to protect his only remaining family his younger sister..And by coincidence his sister and the girl share the same name - Hyein - which gives the romance new dimension and leaves it sort of pure because I think the reason why Daeho liked Lee Hyein (the girl he met at school), was because she reminded him of his sister the only family he had, of course apart from her being pretty and them sharing sort of similar faith in school - both being sort of outcasts, Hyein who was bullied and Daeho who didnt want to be friends with the school bullies and to add to this he was new, quite and clever ...

apart from the obvious conflict between the two oposing governments, which by the way is real only translated into movie and anyone who comes from country with sort of jaded past can relate to this, there is something else which gives the film quite the depth...the skills of Choi Seung Hyun.. if you watch closely he doesnt speak all that much in the film and he plays the lead actor but then again his experssions and gestures speak or rather scream much more than any words could..
from subtle hint of emotion in eyes to tears and saddness in eyes that look 100% real (and if anyone told me they are real i would believe it) and if you add the low sound of his voice ...
someone would say that there is not even a hint of feelings but on other hand the main character is spy and as such showing emotions and being all friendly and lovey dovey would not be the best idea but he shows his emotions in the way he protects his sister, doing anything to make sure she is safe, or how he protects Lee Hyein or how he clumsily, with tears in eyes, gives the present to the lady who sells food or how he closed the eyes of his dead adoptive mother or how he cries over the old lady (again i would believe those were real tears)

you would say that someone like this who lost his parents and was along with his sister sent to probably working camp due to the goverment, which should be like parent taking care of the citizens but instead does the exact oposite, would loose all the ideals about people and would never believe anyone again... but i think Daeho, who was still barely a child, believed that if he did what they wanted that his sister would be safe and he might have even trusted the word of the people who gave him the mission, similarly he trusted and liked the old lady and like he trusted and also liked Lee Hyein ...

of course because it is spy and action movie there is a lot of action and martial arts and explosions and other things that belong to any movie like this.. good handful of fighting, shooting, killing which is maybe another cliche but if so then films like James Bond are one big cliche ( there you have not only all the action but also cliche romamce ..everytime)
i think this story isnt powerful only becuase the politics and because it sort of presents the issues that are real probably not just for koreans ( the pain of separation, the cruelt, of government and people ..) but also becuase of the really believable acting of Choi Seung Hyun and the character of Daeho who would sacrifice anything even his life to protect his loved ones...
i think that his real commitment was to his sister and to Lee Hyein ..i think people like to think that they wouldnt be able to do something like killing someone but the truth is everyone would especially for their loved ones like Daeho .. everyone can sort of relate to the character in this that is what makes is so painfully real .. what adds to it is the fact the when they take diing Daeho into car he is looking out of the window and sees the wall that is separating two countries that separated him and his sister ..
i should say that however much i love this film i also hate it..my family would tell that since i was maybe ten and saw Titanic for 3rd time i never cried over a movie however sad and i used to laugh when my sister or mother cried over sad movies or comedies ( those end well why cry :)) but this movies really got me and for the last 20mins i was having really hard time trying to keep all the tears from spilling and when it ended i had hard time getting it under control...

if you think there wasnt even a thing funny well maybe remember the scene afte Daeho beats the school bullies for what they did to Hyein and because she doesnt come to school he goes to them to ask about her ... if i were you i would watch for their reaction all that nervous coughing and hiccuping thing ..to me it seems funny :) or the cute way in which GDaeho eats -mouth stuffed and all :)

anyways i did my best to say my thoughts and feelings and like i said im not unbiased ;)
you can comment and write your thoughts or ideas or likes or dislikes :)
i hope this all makes sense - to me it does but i was writing it really late in night so im not so sure :D
for all movie lovers and fans of T.O.P like @poojas and @stevieq and many others :)

@CathC I love TOP oppa acting skills and I can totally relate to Daeho caring character. I have a younger brother that I bicker with but I always make sure that he is okay. Of course, you can't have a super serious spy movies without a hint of comedy in it. It's just not healthy lol. And when it comes to emotional acting, I think TOP oppa is one of the best. When it comes to spies, I think emotional (eye) acting is the best because all of the feels come out when you stare into the actor eyes. But you did a really good job writing this post @CathC !!!!!!

@CathC I didn't see this movie because I heard it's too sad but after seeing your card, I think I will watch it! I really wish he would be in a comedy movie with no violence or sadness though...so we just get to see his goofy self LOL @aabxo@Ambie Have you guys seen this one yet?

@poojas i think its worth seeing ... and well i dont know but i think he is good even suited for movies like this with a lot of emotion and such ...sure comedy would be good but i dont know ... i think this really suits him .. maybe its the voice or thise eyes ...